Senator Jay Rockefeller helped secure $12.2 million in federal funding for some of the West Virginia National Guard's training facilities in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill approved by the Senate. The bill passed in the House on June 14.
The bill includes $10 million for the construction of a new Buckhannon Readiness Center and $2.2 million to replace the hydrant fuel system at Camp Dawson in Kingwood. Both sites serve and help train the West Virginia National Guard.
"In order for West Virginia's military facilities to do their job, we must make sure they have the best resources available to protect our state and country," said Rockefeller. "The members of our Guard provide essential rescue and response services both at home and abroad, and I will continue to work on their behalf day in and day out. Even without earmarks, we can work to find ways to fund high priority projects for our communities. I'm committed to creating jobs, building for the future, and enacting smart policies to reduce the deficit without burdening struggling families."
"The support and advocacy of Senator Rockefeller is much appreciated. These two projects are important additions to our continuing facility modernization efforts and infrastructure improvements," said West Virginia Adjutant General James Hoyer. "Funding of phase one of the 57,000 square-foot Readiness Center Project in Buckhannon allows us to begin replacement of the existing 1950's era center which is severely outdated, undersized, and inadequate to accommodate the new mission assigned under Army Modularity Transformation. The expansion and upgrade of the ground and aviation fuel storage and dispensing facilities will address safety and environmental issues, as well as provide state-of-the-art, 24/7 fueling for all of the ground and aviation assets that train at Camp Dawson."
Buckhannon Readiness Center
The $10 million will help build a new 57,000 square-foot training facility for the West Virginia National Guard. The facility will be built on a 44-acre tract near the Upshur County Regional Airport about a half mile off of Corridor H. It will improve readiness for the West Virginia National Guard by providing authorized training, administrative, storage, and maintenance space. The facility will house all elements of the 601st Horizontal Engineer Company, 1935th Contingency Contracting Team, and a Design and Survey Team, for a total of 139 authorized personnel.
The current 23,700 square-foot facility is located in a floodplain, and does not meet force-protection requirements and lacks adequate training, storage, administrative, and parking areas required to support new missions under Army Modularity Transformation unit.
Camp Dawson
The $2.2 million will enable the West Virginia National Guard to improve its fuel facility for the helicopters, small aircraft, and military trucks and vehicles that support training at Camp Dawson, enabling the facility to effectively operate and train its troops.
The expansion and upgrades will include a new office building, fencing, and new electrical and lighting system that will allow for day and night operations. It will also include paving the surrounding areas of the fuel facility and a new parking lot area. The upgrades will include flushing the old underground jet fuel supply and return lines in order to prevent any ground contamination. These lines will be replaced with a new stainless steel above-ground supply and carbon steel return lines for Camp Dawson's four hot pit aircraft refueling pads. The upgrades will provide state of the art facilities for aviation assets to train as they would operate in the different theaters around the world.